Bowling ball handle



Dec. 12, 1961 c. BARKER BOWLING BALL HANDLE Filed Nov. 5, 1959 FIG. 5.

R s E V K m T W Mm v c 5 3 7 L m 4 5 5 LNM/ m f United States PatentOfifiee Patented Dec. 12, 1961 3,012,784 BOWLING BALL HANDLE Leslie C. Barker, 20 E. Delaware Place, Chicago, Ill. Filed Nov. 5, 1959, Ser. No. 851,034

2 Claims. (Cl. 273-64) This invention relates in general to a bowling ball handle, and more specifically to rectractable hande for use in a bowling ball.

It is proposed by the present invention to provide a retractable handle for a bowling ball having improved characteristics whereby the necessity for holding the bowling ball by one or more finger holes and its attendant strain and inconvenience, especially on the part of those not having great physical strength or missing certain digit members, is eliminated; the need for fitting finger holes in accordance with the finger spread of various persons is eliminated; the life of the handle is extended; the mechanism is improved both from the standpoint of appearance, utility, and the elimination of surface aberration of the ball; and improved arrangements are provided for retaining the handle within the ball and for removing the same in the event such is necessary.

It is an object of the present invention to utilize in a bowling ball a retractable handle having a spring, which is under extensive compression only when the ball is lifted by the handle, but is protected from distortion and wherein the ball is prevented from springing during the swinging motion of the arm in throwing the ball.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved means for grasping a handle for a bowling ball while providing retracting means for the handle wherein the handle is immediately returned to its retracted position on being thrown.

It is another object of this invention to provide a retractible handle for a bowling ball without displacing the center of gravity thereof.

It is another object of this invention to provide a retractible handle of the type wherein recesses occupied by the handle are desi ned to present minimum aberration to the surface of the ball.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a bowling ball in which the numerous finger holes are eliminated to provide minimum surface aberration.

It is a further object of this invention to provide improved means for mounting or removing a retractible handle of the character described from a bowling ball.

The foregoing and other objects and features of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention will be best understood, by reference to the following description of an embodirnent of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, comprising FIGS. 1 to 8 wherein:

FIG. 1 shows the general outward appearance of the ball and handle;

FIG. 2 shows the handle withdrawn to permit the ball to be held by the fingers of the hand;

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the handle;

FIG. 4 is a section of the ball and handle showing the structure by which the handle is operativeiy retained within the ball;

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the tool for mounting or removing the handle; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 show the use of a plastic handle shaped to conform to the ball surface whereby unnecessary surface aberrations are reduced to a minimum.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the ball includes a pair of partially threaded bores 2 connected by a longitudinal recess 3 in the ball surface. The recess 3 has a widened and deepened portion 4 to permit a finger to be inserted for lifting the handle 5.

The handle 5 is a U-shaped element preferably of tubular aluminum, which has the required characteristics of lightness and strength. The ends of legs 6 of handle 5 are each threaded to receive a nut 7. Mounted directly above the nut 7 on each leg is a sleeve 8, which partially encloses spring 9. Directly above each spring 9 is a threaded plug 10, slidably mounted on its corresponding tubular leg 6. When the plug 10, spring 9, and sleeve 8 are mounted on each leg, nut 7 is screwed on to the end of each leg 6 and a pin 11 inserted through an aperture in each leg 6 to ensure the position of nut 7 is held.

Handle 5 is mounted by inserting each of the legs 6 and the apparatus thereon in a corresponding bore 2,

until the thread on one of the plugs 10 encounters the thread in its corresponding bore. At this time a finger may be inserted under the bar 12 of handle 5 to lift the handle sutliciently to enable tool 13 to be slidingly engaged with one of the legs 6.

The tool 13 comprises-a ring shaped portion 14, which flares into handle portion 15 with knurling thereon to facilitate grasping. The tool 13 has a slot 16 extending parallel to its longitudinal axis whereby the ring 14 may he slipped over either one of the legs 6. Two projections 17 at the lower edge of tool 13 engage corresponding recesses 18 in the top of plug 10 when the tool is slid along the leg 6 to engage one of the plugs. Turning force applied through the knurled handle 15 on tool 13 is extended through projections 17 and the sides of recesses 18 to turn the plug 10 into or out of the threaded bore 2.

In this manner tool 13 is used to first thread one plug into the ball 1 and then the other plug, taking care that both are alternately threaded to maintain alignment of the legs. When each plug 10 is fully threaded into the ball the handle 5 is held retracted with bar 12 in recess 3, as spring 9 on each leg relieves the compressive force thereon by expanding to a position where it is substantially under no pressure. To remove the handle assembly, of course, the threading procedure is simply reversed.

In operation, a finger is inserted in recess 4 and crooked underneath the tubular handle portion 12, which is lifted from the ball. As the handle is lifted, the compressive force on spring 9 increases and the spring starts to come under the full compressive force caused by the weight of the ball, but each sleeve 8 prevents excessive compression or distortion of its corresponding spring 9, by limiting its movement on coming into contact with the corresponding plug 10.

With the handle 5 fully extended, as many fingers of the hand as desired, are slipped around portion 12 so that the ball may be supported by the full hand strength without strain normally resulting from the edges of finger holes and because of the even distribution of the weight of the ball.

As the arm is swung in the throwing motion, the ball due to centrifugal force thereon remains at the end of the are without tendency to ride along the radius of the arc, while the center ofgravity remains substantially constant whereby erratic behavior of the ball is reduced.

On release of the handle 5, the spring 9 almost instantly expands to its normal position, thus forcing nut 7 and handle 5 back into its retracted position before the ball 1 strikes the alley.

In the arrangement shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the handle 5 has a portion 12, which is encapsulated in a strong smooth plastic 19 such as nylon. The plastic is formed to fit the shape of recess 3, whereby aberrations in the surface of the ball are even further reduced. The finger recess 4 is deepened and widened, if necessary, to provide additional room for insertion of a finger for lifting the handle 5.

While I have described above the principles of my invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only J by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. In combination, a bowling ball and a retractable handle apparatus therefor, said bowling ball comprising:

a pair of parallel bores each extending partially through said ball, terminating at an inner closed end, and having a uniform diameter along its entire length;

each bore having an internally threaded portion adjacent the open outer end thereof; said handle apparatus comprising:

a pair of externally threaded tubular plugs each threadedly engaged in the threaded portion of a respective bore;

a U-shaped member having a pair of legs and a bar extending the-rebetween at a corresponding first end of each leg;

each of said legs extending slidably through a respective one of said plugs and into a respective bore toward said closed end thereof;

each leg terminating in a threaded second end;

a pair of nuts each screwed on a respective leg at said second end thereof;

a pair of coil springs each surrounding a respective leg between said nut and said plug and having opposite ends engageable with the nut and the plug respectively;

and a pair of sleeves each surrounding a respective one of said coil springs, each being shorter than said surrounded coil spring, and each having opposite ends engageable with said nut and said plug respectively; said ball further comprising:

a first surface recess between said bores for accommodating said bar on the U-shaped member;

and a second surface recess extending transversely from said first recess;

said first recess having a portion thereof which is deeper than the rest of the first recess;

said deeper portion communicating with said second recess so as to permit a digit to be inserted under the bar when the latter is in the first recess.

2. A combination as recited in claim 1 wherein both of said bores extend to the same depth; and the axes of both of said parallel bores are in alignment with a radial line of said ball extending parallel to said axes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 838,026 Holland Doc. 11, 1906 1,079,956 Seessle Dec. 2, 1913 2,147,907 MacChesney Feb. 21, 1939 2,317,319 West Apr. 20, 1943 2,345,205 MacChesney Mar. 28, 1944 2,433,296 Crawford July 1, 1947 2,474,950 MacChesney July 5, 1949 

